alcohol use disorder

noun

variants or less commonly alcohol-use disorder

plural alcohol use disorders also alcohol-use disorders

: a medical condition characterized by a pattern of frequent and usually excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages, by strong cravings for alcohol often accompanied by episodes of depression, anxiety, or distress, by symptoms (such as restlessness or sweating) of alcohol withdrawal, and by the impaired ability to stop or control the intake of alcohol despite adverse effects on one's work, school, or family obligations

Note: Alcohol use disorder ranges from mild to severe and is typically considered to encompass conditions also referred to as alcohol dependence, alcohol abuse, alcohol addiction, and alcoholism.

Over the long term, teen alcohol use can interfere with normal brain development and can increase the chance that the teens will develop an alcohol use disorder later in life.

—Cindy Kurman

About 40 to 50 soldiers assigned to Fort Meade are now undergoing treatment for alcohol use disorders.

—Lisa Rhodes

An estimated 18 million Americans suffer from alcohol-use disorder, as the DSM-5, the latest edition of the American Psychiatric Association's diagnostic manual, calls it. … Only about 15 percent of those with alcohol-use disorder are at the severe end of the spectrum. The rest fall somewhere in the mild-to-moderate range …

—Gabrielle Glaser

—abbreviation AUD

Examples of alcohol use disorder in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Manly says that the amygdala, the part of the brain tied to memory, emotions, and decision making seems to be impacted in people who have anxiety and also those with alcohol use disorders. —Sara Novak, Discover Magazine, 6 May 2023

Naltrexone is commonly prescribed to treat opioid and alcohol use disorders, while bupropion is an antidepressant known for reducing cravings for cigarettes. —Berkeley Lovelace Jr., NBC News, 7 Nov. 2023

Medications and psychotherapy can help people with alcohol use disorder remain sober for the two to five years needed to dramatically reduce the risk of relapse, said Dr. David Streem, a psychiatrist and medical director of the Cleveland Clinic's Alcohol and Drug Recovery Center. —Karen Weintraub, USA TODAY, 18 Feb. 2023

There’s an association between anxiety disorders and alcohol use disorders, according to a wide breadth of research. —Sara Novak, Discover Magazine, 6 May 2023

The difference in rate was similar for alcohol use disorders, PTSD, mood disorders, and any combination of two post-brain injury diagnoses. —Haley Weiss, Time, 1 Aug. 2023

However, research has found 2.5 to 15 percent of Americans experience magnesium deficiency with rates even higher in those with diabetes or alcohol use disorder. —Andi Breitowich, Women's Health, 17 July 2023

Counseling, residential treatment programs, support groups, and medication can help those with alcohol use disorder, but many people relapse. —Emily Mullin, WIRED, 14 Aug. 2023

Its results are equally stunning for those suffering from addiction, in particular alcohol use disorder, and for social anxiety in those on the autism spectrum. —Federico Perelmuter, Washington Post, 10 Aug. 2023

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Word History

First Known Use

1980, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

alcohol use disorder

noun

variants also alcohol-use disorder

: a medical condition characterized by a pattern of frequent and usually excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages, by strong cravings for alcohol often accompanied by episodes of depression, anxiety, or distress, by symptoms (such as restlessness or sweating) of alcohol withdrawal, and by the impaired ability to stop or control the intake of alcohol despite adverse effects on one's work, school, or family obligations

Note: Alcohol use disorder ranges from mild to severe and is typically considered to encompass conditions also referred to as alcohol dependence, alcohol abuse, alcohol addiction, and alcoholism.

Alcohol use disorder, a problematic pattern of alcohol use accompanied by clinically significant impairment or distress, is present in up to 14% of US adults during a 1-year period, although only about 8% of affected individuals are treated in an alcohol treatment facility.

—Henry R. Kranzler and Michael Soyka, The Journal of the American Medical Association

Despite physicians' awareness of the importance of screening and probing for alcohol use disorders, one problem that might explain the failure of screening to become routine could be that physicians "aren't sure what to do once they obtain a history" that suggests a problem, Dr. [Keith A.] Nichols said.

—Naseem S. Miller, Internal Medicine News

An estimated 18 million Americans suffer from alcohol-use disorder, as the DSM-5, the latest edition of the American Psychiatric Association's diagnostic manual, calls it. … Only about 15 percent of those with alcohol-use disorder are at the severe end of the spectrum. The rest fall somewhere in the mild-to-moderate range …

—Gabrielle Glaser, The Atlantic

—abbreviation AUD